


Digital Danger

by Settiai



Series: DigiUniverse [20]
Category: Digimon - All Media Types, Digimon Adventure Zero Two | Digimon Adventure 02
Genre: Gen, Ghosts, Juvenilia, Siblings, Unfinished and Discontinued, What Was I Thinking?
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2001-08-23
Updated: 2001-08-23
Packaged: 2017-10-06 19:44:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 12,633
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/57124
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Settiai/pseuds/Settiai
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A year has passed since MaloMyotismon's defeat, and everything seems peaceful. That is, until Ken's past came back to haunt him in the unlikely forms of Ryo, Sam, and Sakura. [Note: Unfinished - brief summary of unwritten chapters included at the end.]</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> I was still in junior high. Don't judge me.

A teenage boy stood tall, even though he was surrounded by darkness. His Digimon hovered a few inches above his shoulder. He had gotten used to the darkness by now. He had felt the darkness ever since he had first met the one he called his master. That had been over five years ago.

He was waiting for his master to come to him. It was almost time for the plan to be put in motion. The plan that would return his master to glory. The boy sighed softly. He was supposed to feel good about this. Why didn't he?

Maybe it was all of the things he had done to help his master. He had helped to turn the man, Oikawa, into a slave of Myotismon. He had helped to brainwash a little boy, one that had considered him a friend. Because of him that boy had become a tyrant, a monster even. The boy sighed again. He had helped to cause that young boy's brother to die, so that the boy would be easier to take control of. And he had known the boy's brother so well. They had been Digidestined together, once. The two of them and Sakura. Now, he was the only one left.

Then, of course, there were his own parents. He hadn't seen them in over a year. He had left his home in December of the year before, when all of the children were being kidnapped by the man that he had helped to enslave, Oikawa. His parents probably thought that he had been kidnapped like the other kids, except that he, unlike the others, had never came home. They probably thought that he was dead, by now.

_No_, he thought to himself. _I can't look back at the past. There is nothing I can do to change it. All I can do is look towards the future._

"I have to make sure that this plan works," he said out loud.

"That's a very good idea," a familiar voice said. The boy turned around to find himself staring straight into the face of his master. His usually cold eyes flickered with fear.

"The Digidestined are at a park in the real world. It is time for you to capture the girl. Remember though, she is just the bait. We are after a much bigger prize." The boy nodded in agreement. He gave a nervous grin, as his master sent him and his Digimon to the world he had left behind over a year ago.

After the boy had left, the Digimon he called master gave a cold laugh. "You better not fail me, boy. If you do, you will pay. I don't care what happens to you, Ryo. All I care about is that my plan works, no matter what the cost. If you fail me, you will pay. Someday, you will pay."


	2. Kidnapped!

A teenage boy watched the Chosen Children's picnic from a distance. They were gathered in the park to celebrate the one year anniversary of the battle with the Digimon called MaloMyotismon. He had been working towards this day for years. It was finally time to set his master's plan in motion, and all he had to do was capture the girl who held the Crest of Light.

Then he could put everything from the past behind him. And everyone.

*

Yagami HiHikari looked around anxiously. She couldn't shake the feeling that they were being watched, even though she knew that it was highly unlikely. She had felt that someone was watching her before, but had never seen anyone. None of the others seemed to ever notice that anything was amiss, though.

_I guess I'm just imagining things_, she thought to herself with a wry grin. Slowly she turned her attention back to the conversations going on around her.

Ichijouji Ken watched Hikari curiously. She seemed preoccupied about something, but he couldn't tell what. He smiled slightly. He wasn't paying much attention either. Even after all this time, some of his memories about the first time he went to the Digital World were still hazy. Especially about the brown haired boy he remembered being with.

Takaishi Takeru glanced over at Hikari. He could tell that something was bothering her, and he wondered what it was. It seemed almost like she was looking for someone, or maybe something. Was she picking up on something that no one else was?

Inoue Miyako had noticed that Hikari was acting strangely. She really couldn't blame her. Something just didn't feel right. It was almost like they were being watched. _Who's bright idea was it again to leave our Digimon at home? Oh yeah, it was mine. What was I thinking?_ she thought nervously.

After a while, the picnic was slowly drawing to an end. It was getting late and most of the Chosen Children needed to get home. Tachikawa Mimi had moved back to Japan several months earlier, but she now lived on the far side of Tokyo and had to be one of the first to leave. Hida Iori left right after her. Miyako left soon after them, still feeling kind of wary. She was followed very closely - all the way back to her family's store, actually - by Ken, her boyfriend.

Izumi Koushiro and Kido Jou left after a little while, followed soon after by Takenouchi Sora and Ishida Yamato, Takeru's older half-brother. The two of them were headed towards a nearby theater.

Taichi, Hikari's older brother, looked a little upset about that, but he didn't say anything. That left Motomiya Daisuke , Taichi, Takeru, and Hikari still at the park. Hikari gave Taichi a look, and he quickly took the hint. He knew what she was planning on doing. "Come on, Daisuke. We better be leaving now," he said. Then he shot his sister a knowing look. "Try to be home within an hour or two, okay?"

He pretty much dragged the protesting Daisuke out of the park.

Takeru looked at Hikari with an expression that plainly said that he wanted to know what was up. She smiled at him and answered his unspoken question. "Don't worry, I'm just a little on edge. I thought that someone was watching us, but I guess I was just imagining things."

She gave him a smile, and then, to both of their surprise, she kissed him right on the lips. As soon as they stopped he looked at her with surprise on his face. Then he kind of shrugged and kissed her right back.

*

_This is the perfect time to capture her_, the boy thought to himself. She was, at the moment, occupied with the one who holds the Crest of Hope. She was definitely preoccupied and there would be no better time to strike.

He turned to the small creature beside him and said firmly, "Spiritmon, you know what to do. Do not seriously injure either one of them, though."

*

Takeru and Hikari's kiss was interrupted by a small blast of energy that knocked both of them to the ground. A very small Digimon that looked sort of like a large rainbow-colored butterfly flew down in front of them. Someone stood in the shadows behind it. Takeru was still sitting on the ground, dazed, but Hikari slowly stood up to face the person in the shadows. "Do you always interrupt like that," she asked in a sarcastic tone.

He smiled to himself. She definitely had a strong spirit, that proved to him without a doubt that she was the one he needed. She would be the perfect bait. He stepped out of the shadows to reveal to them a boy about the same age as Taichi, Yamato, and Sora. He had short brown hair and an angelic face. His face was twisted into an evil grin, and his eyes seemed hard and empty, though.

His face twisted into an evil smile and he gave a hollow laugh. It was time for him to set the plan in motion. He had been waiting for this day for years, so why didn't he feel happy about doing this. He shook his head forcefully. He couldn't let pity get in the way. Not this time. "Spiritmon," he called out. "Get the girl now. Do not let the boy interfere with my plans."

Takeru had shakily gotten to his feet and was standing beside Hikari. The Digimon sent off another blast of energy that sent both of them sprawling. The boy gave another hollow laugh.

Takeru saw the strange boy reach into the backpack on his back and pull out a laptop computer. He then reached into his pocket and pulled out a Digivice. A dark Digivice.

As the boy started to open a Digi-port, Takeru tried to focus on the backpack. There was something written on it, a word. As the darkness started to close over him, he carefully read the word written on the backpack. The last thing he saw before he blacked out was a bright light shooting from the computer, pulling the boy, his Digimon, and Hikari, into the Digital World.

And the name, Ryo, written on the bag.


	3. Gathering at the Yagami's

Taichi looked impatiently at his watch. Hikari should have been home an hour ago and he was starting to get angry. He had let her and Takeru stay behind, and she was repaying him by not coming home. She could have at least called to let him know where she was. _Mom would have already called the police to look for her_, he thought to himself. _Luckily for her our parents are out of town until next week._

After waiting another half-hour without her showing up though, he was starting to worry . _Maybe she stopped by Takeru's apartment,_ he thought. If not, he had better ask Takeru where she was.

He picked up the phone and dialed the Takaishi number. "Hello, Mrs. Takaishi? This is Yagami Taichi, may I speak to Takeru? He's not back from the park yet? No, I don't know where he is. Hikari's not back either. Don't worry, Mrs. Takaishi, they probably stopped for food or something. I'm going to go look for them now."

When Taichi got off the phone he was really starting to worry. He knew both of them very well, and they wouldn't have stopped for food without letting anyone know where they were. Besides, he had noticed the expression on Hikari's face at the picnic. Something was up. He grabbed his coat and shook Agumon and Tailmon to wake them up.

"Come on you two, something's wrong."

*

Meanwhile, at the park, a very sore Takeru was waking up. He moaned with pain as he tried to sit up. 'What had just happened,' he wondered to himself. Suddenly memories from the fight with the boy came flooding back.

"Hikari!" he cried out suddenly, remembering what he had seen just before he passed out. There was no sign of her, but the laptop computer still sat on the grass where the boy had left it. That meant that he had gotten Hikari.

Takeru felt something wet sliding down his forehead. He reached up and touched his head. When he brought his hand down it was red with blood.   
_No wonder he was feeling so light-headed,_ he thought, smiling wryly. Slowly he slipped back into the darkness.

He was awakened a little later by a loud yelling coming from somewhere nearby. "Hikari, Takeru, are you out there? Come on you guys, where are you?"

The voice sounded a whole lot like Taichi.

"Taichi, is that you? It's me, Takeru I need some help! Hurry!" he cried out, moaning in pain as he tried again to sit up.

As soon as he had heard Takeru calling Taichi had started running in the direction of the voice. He came in sight of the place where they had had the picnic just hours earlier and gasped in shock. When he had left Takeru and Hikari the place had been covered in trees and bushes. It had been a perfect picnic spot. Now there were patches of dirt showing here and the plants no longer existed.

_Geez, this place looked like a war had taken place. Then again, maybe one had,_ he thought to himself when he saw the shape Takeru was in.

"What happened? Where's Hikari?" Taichi asked as soon as he got to Takeru In reply Takeru looked up and said quietly: "He got her. I don't know who he was. We have to--"

He passed out again before he could finish his last sentence.

Taichi looked at Takeru closely. He was bleeding from a large cut on his head, and he had various scratches all over him. There were several bruises forming on his arms and legs. Whatever had happened was definitely bad news. He did a quick double-glance when he saw what looked like lip-stick on Takeru's face. Taichi gave an amazed smile, as he pulled Takeru up off the ground.

Taichi half-supported, half-carried Takeru to a bench near the gate to the park. He left Agumon and Tailmon to take care of Takeru while he ran to a nearby drugstore to buy some bandages and antiseptic. He cleaned Takeru up the best he could and then helped him back to the Yagami residence. By then Takeru had woken up again.

Taichi looked at him with expectancy and worry in his eyes. Takeru sighed and told him, slowly and carefully, about the strange boy who had attacked them for no reason and taken Hikari. After he had finished Taichi quickly went to the phone.

"I'm calling your mom and telling her that you are spending the night here. She probably shouldn't see you while you look like this. Then I'm calling the others and telling them to get here as soon as possible. I don't know what is going on, but I'm pretty sure that we're in trouble," Taichi told Takeru as he dialed his number.

*

"Hello, Mrs. Takaishi? It's Yagami Taichi. I found Takeru Yes ma'am, he's fine. Since it's so late I'm just going to let him stay here, if that's fine? Of course my parents don't mind, Mrs. Takaishi."

_If they were in town, they might care, but since they're not, oh well,_ Taichi thought to himself as he hung up. He had better call the others.

"Hello, Mr. Ishida? This is Taichi. Is Yamato home from his date yet? He just got in? Can I talk to him? Hey Yamato, it's Taichi. You better be at my apartment in half an hour with Gabumon. Yes I know what time it is. I don't care what you tell your dad, you just be here. Takeru's been hurt pretty bad, and something or someone got Hikari so... oh, so you're be here in fifteen minutes? That's great."

_That got him to hurry,_ he thought with a dry smile as he called Mimi.

"Hello, is this Mimi? It's Taichi. Get Palmon and get over to my place. Make whatever excuse you need, but just hurry. Yes, it's an emergency. No, you don't need to wear extra makeup."

_I hope we find out who that creep is,_ he thought to himself as he dialed in Sora's number.

"Hello, Mrs. Takenouchi? This is Yagami Taichi, I need to speak to Sora. Hey Sora, it's Taichi. I need you and Piyomon at my apartment now. Yes, I know what time it is. We have an emergency. There's something wrong, and I think it involves the Digital World. You'll hurry? That's great."

_Okay, just seven more to go,_ he thought to himself wearily.

"Hello, is this Koushiro? This is Taichi. We have an emergency. Bring Tentomon and your computer... because it's faster than mine, that's why. Be here as soon as possible. We have a big problem." He looked back over at Takeru He was asleep on the couch. A grimace of pain was etched on his face.

"Hello, is this Mr. Ki-- Oh hi, Shin. Yeah, this is Yagami Taichi. I need to talk to Jou, it's an emergency. Tell him that he can study later. Hey Jou, it's Taichi. You and Gomamon need to be at my place as soon as possible. Jou, this is a little more important than your exams. Hurry, okay?" 'The only ones left to call are the four new kids.' he thought to himself.

_I better call Ken first, since he lives farthest away._

"Hello, Mrs. Ichijouji? This is Yagami Taichi. I need to speak to Ken immediately. No, this is not some salesperson. I'm one of the Chosen Children. Thanks... Ken, this is Taichi. You and Wormmon need to get to my apartment right now. We have an emergency. Hurry!"

_Three more to go,_ he thought as he dialed Daisuke's number.

"Hi, you have reached the Motomiya residence. We can't come to the phone right now, so leave a message after the beep if you are a cute guy interested in Jun. If not, get lost."

_I bet they don't get many messages,_ he thought with a grin, _The thought of a cute guy liking Jun probably scares most people away._

"Hey Daisuke, are you there? It's Taichi. Daisuke, I know you're mad about earlier, but you don't have to hold a grudge. Come on Daisuke, pick up. Hikari's in trouble. Yeah, I thought that you might pick up if I told you that. You and Veemon need to be at my place now. No, I don't want to go on a date with Jun."

_Only two more to go,_ he thought with relief.

"Hello, is this Mr. Hida, Iori's grandfather? This is Yagami Taichi. I know it's late, but I need to talk to Iori right away. It's very important, sir. Iori, it's Taichi. You and Armodillamon need to get to my apartment as soon as possible. I bet your grandfather will cover for you, if your mom starts to worry. Just hurry."

_That went pretty well,_ he thought. _Only one more to go._

"Hey, Taichi," Takeru called out weakly from the couch. "Tell Miyako to stop by my apartment and pick up Patamon."

"Hello, Mrs. Inoue? This is Yagami Taichi. I need to talk to Miyako right away. No, this is not her boyfriend. Yes, I'm sure. No, I'm not interested in being one of her older sister's boyfriends either. Hey Miyako, it's Taichi. You and Hawkmon need to get to my apartment right away. Yes, it involves Hikari. How did you know? Never mind, tell me when you get here. Hey, wait a second. Stop by Takeru's apartment and pick up Patamon for him, okay? Thanks, Miyako."

*

_Finally, everyone's on their way,_ he thought tiredly as he walked over to open the door for, he assumed, Yamato.

Takeru sat up with a start when he heard the knocking on the door. He saw Taichi hurrying over and opening it to let Yamato in. As soon as he saw Takeru, Yamato rushed over. "What happened to you? What's going on? What happened to Hikari?"

"Can you wait until everyone gets here. I'm too tired to tell it nine different times," he said with a tired grin. Yamato smiled and answered, "Sure."

Daisuke showed up a few minutes later. As soon as he arrived he started asking questions to anyone who would answer. "Where's Hikari? Is she alright? What happened to you, Takeru? Is anyone going to tell me anything? You know, whatever happened might have been avoided if you hadn't dragged me off, Taichi."

In answer to that last one Taichi replied: "Yeah, maybe you would have been the one kidnapped instead of Hikari. Then we wouldn't have to listen to you."

Daisuke then became quiet.

In an hour everyone had gotten there, and they all wanted to know what had happened. When Takeru slowly started telling them the story, they all listened in shock. After he finished he described the boy who had taken her. As he described him, Ken listened in wonder. Takeru was describing the boy in his dreams. Ryo, that name sounded so familiar. Why couldn't he remember anything about him. He had remembered almost everything else from that time.

Taichi noticed the expression on Ken's face. "Ken, what's wrong? Do you know this guy or something?"

"I did at one time. I think. I met him about four years ago, when I went to the Digital World for the first time. I can't remember much about him though. It's almost like someone, or something, is purposely hiding part of my memory from me. I'm pretty sure that I knew him though," Ken answered quietly. "I'm sorry that I can't be of any more help than that."

After Ken had finished talking Wormmon looked up at him and said something that made everyone gape in wonder. "Are you talking about Akiyama Ryo? He was with you almost the entire time you were in the Digital World. He even introduced you to me. Are you saying you don't remember him at all?"

Ken didn't say anything after Wormmon finished talking. That name, Akiyama Ryo, it sounded so familiar. Why couldn't he remember? While he was pondering over this, twenty-one voices loudly cried out: "What?"

*

Meanwhile, in the Digital World, Hikari was waking up. She moaned in pain as she tried to move. Painfully, she finally sat up. The first thing she saw was the strange boy sitting nearby.

"Where am I?" she cried out in an angry voice. "And who are you?"


	4. Message from Hikari

"What do you want with me!" Hikari cried out in an angry voice.

Ryo just smirked. She definitely had spirit. She was barely able to sit up and she still was trying to be brave. _It's surprising really_, he thought to himself. _With as many other qualities that she has, you wouldn't think that she would be the holder of the Crest of Light.___

Hikari looked at him angrily. Who was he, and what did he want with her? She could tell that they were in the Digital World, but how had they gotten there? The only way for them to be there is if someone had opened a Digital Gate, and she was sure that she hadn't. She gave a small gasp. That meant that this boy was a Chosen Children.

He gave a cold smile. "I see that you figured out how we got here. I thought that you never would. I know that you're probably wondering who I am. My name is Akiyama Ryo, and I am, as you guessed, one of the Chosen Children. In the real world I went to the Digital World just a few hours before your friends were taken from their summer camp. As you know, time in the Digital World passed very quickly back then, so it was as if I was here months before Taichi, Yamato, Sora, Mimi, Jou, Koushiro, and Takeru."

"How did you know they came to the Digital World from summer camp?" Hikari asked him coldly. How could he know that? Just how long had he been watching them?

He seemed to have once again read her mind. "I've been watching you and your friends since they first went to the Digital World five years ago. Of course, I had some help. I was careful not to let any of you see me ,of course, but I introduced myself to another Chosen Children once. He helped me keep an eye on the seven of them. He had no idea that he was being used."

A dark looked appeared on Ryo's face. "Still, before he returned to the real world I had to order Spiritmon," he gestured over to the strange looking Digimon that Hikari hadn't noticed, "to place a telepathic block in his mind. I couldn't risk Ken remembering what he learned about me before I had carried out my plan. Of course, the fact that he was infected by the Dark Spore made it a lot easier for Spiritmon to place the block. The foolish boy, I guess he wanted to be a hero. He thought that he was saving me. What a fool."

A quick look of what appeared to be sorrow appeared on his face for a moment.

Hikari just gaped at him. He had met Ken, and then, when Ken had just been infected by the Dark Spore, had placed some sort of block in his memories so that he wouldn't remember that he had met Ryo. Whoever this guy was, he meant business. Hikari glanced at the Digimon again. It was staring at her with the same amused expression as Ryo.

She reached into her pocket to try to see if her D-3 was still there. No such luck. She guessed that she couldn't contact the others. She jumped in shock when Ryo gave a loud, hollow laugh. She almost fainted from the pain she felt when she landed.

"Are you looking for this?" Ryo asked in an almost teasing manner, tossing her the missing D-3. "I want you to tell your friends know that you're alright. In fact, I order you to. I've closed down all of the Digiports in the area, so the only way for them to get here is if they cross some very rough terrain that is loaded with traps set by me. Tell them that they have forty-eight hours."

Ryo stared at the girl for a moment. He knew that he would pay if he didn't capture the others. His master would make sure of that. Deep down, though, he really hoped that the other Chosen Children would rescue the girl, Hikari. He really did. She reminded him so much of Sakura. He shook his head. No, he couldn't think about Sakura. Not now.

Hikari looked at him in shock. What did he mean by that? He wanted her to lead the others to him, so that he could attack them. What was he planning on doing in forty-eight hours anyway?

_Well, if he thinks that he has already won , he is in for a big surprise_, she thought bitterly. _My friends will come, but they will be prepared. I know them too well. They are probably trying to find a way to rescue me already_.

She gave a hopeful smile at this thought, as she typed in a message to her friends.

*

The groans turned into gasps as they all tried to wake up, as they followed Miyako into the kitchen.


	5. Memories Restored

"...and he says that you have forty-eight hours to find me. It's definitely a trap guys, but I know that you'll think of something. You always do."

Taichi's voice cracked a little as he read the last part of the message from Hikari out loud. She was his little sister, and he was supposed to watch out for her. Some _onii-san_ he had been. Before he could stop them, several tears slid down his face. He hastily tried to wipe them away before anyone noticed. He didn't succeed.

Yamato shot him a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, Taichi, we're get her back safe and sound. She's a Yagami, right? She'll be fine." In response, Taichi gave him a weak grin.

Koushiro suddenly looked up from the computer screen he had been studying for the last several minutes. "Hey guys, I think that we have a problem. Come look at this map of the area surrounding where she is."

When he said that, everyone crowded around him to see the map. Miyako let out a small gasp when she saw it. Koushiro gave a worried grin. "As you can see, there are no ports open anywhere in the region." He pointed to a small dot on the screen. "The closest one is here, several miles away. Now, that wouldn't be too bad, except that we'll have to cross what looks like a desert to reach that area." He looked around at the grim faces around him. "Anyone know anything about that area?"

Ken stared at the map on the screen. That area looked so familiar, so very familiar. Why though? He looked down at Wormmon with a worried expression on his face. The Digimon seemed to take the hint. He cleared his throat loudly enough to get the others attention. They looked over at the small Digimon with expressions of wonder on their faces.

"Ken and I spent some time with Ryo and his Digimon there. Right after Ken's brother, Osamu died." Wormmon looked at Ken briefly. Ken's face was showing a tiny bit of recognition in it. "That's where we defeated Milleniumon... and where Ken was infected by the Dark Spore."

Ken stared at the screen, trying to remember the things that Wormmon was saying. He knew that they were in his mind somewhere. He just knew it. Why couldn't he remember?

Suddenly he gave a small gasp. He felt like his head was splitting in two. As memories came flooding back, he grabbed his head in agony. He thought that he heard Miyako say his name. He looked over at her with a grim smile on his face, as everything seemed to go black.

*

Miyako listened to Wormmon in shock. That desert that they were going to have to cross was the place where Ken had first started to turn to darkness. She glanced over at him to see how he was taking the news. She quickly did a double take when she saw his face. He was pale as a sheet and his hands seemed to be clutching his head.

"Ken?" she asked slowly. He looked over at her with his face etched in pain. He tried to smile as he slumped down to the floor. "Ken!" she cried out again as she dropped down to her knees beside him. Daisuke quickly followed her example. She turned towards the others who were just staring at them in shock.

"Someone get a cold cloth for his head," she ordered fiercely. Taichi quickly obeyed.

*

Ken looked around at the total darkness surrounding him. Where as he? What had happened? Suddenly, a bright light shone down on him. He covered his eyes in pain and looked down, away from the light. He looked up in shock when he heard a very familiar voice coming out of the darkness.

"Come on, Kenny-boy, don't you want your memories back?" A shadowy figure appeared in front of him. Ken stared in shock. "Osamu!?" he asked in wonder.

His brother's form stared at him sadly. "Maybe I am your brother. Or maybe I'm just your memories, coming to you in a form that you will recognize. You will have to be the judge of that."

Ken swallowed hard. "I see. How can I get my memories back? All of them. Please, tell me. I'll do anything."

Osamu smiled gently. "That's all that I needed to hear. That you wanted them back enough to do anything. Now, just hold out your hands towards me."

Ken nodded nervously. He carefully held out his hands and took a deep breath. Osamu smiled gently. He reached out and grabbed his younger brother's hands. Ken gave a shock as he felt a deep cold sink into his body. Then, it was over. He was alone, and he remembered everything.

"Thank you, Osamu." he whispered softly. Slowly, he dropped down to his knees. The light around him was fading, and he embraced the darkness that was overtaking him.

*

Ken slowly opened his eyes. He was met by the sight of Miyako practically hanging over him. "He's awake!" she screamed out.

He nearly fainted again as he covered his ears in pain.

"There's no need to scream, Miyako," Sora patiently said. "We're all standing behind you."

Miyako looked around sheepishly.

Daisuke and Jou helped pull Ken up off the floor. He stood shakily, even with their support. He grinned when he saw the expectant looks on everyone's faces. "Help me over to the couch, and then I'll tell you everything I know." He was met by several loud gasps, and one loud, "Huh? I don't get it," from Daisuke. After he was on the couch, he slowly started telling them about the past that he had forgotten.

Two hours later, he was finished. Everyone, except for Wormmon, looked shocked at what he had just told them. Surprisingly, Iori was the first one to talk. "Well, I guess that we have to try and rescue Hikari. What are we going to tell our parents, though?"

Koushiro shook his head in amazement. "We're going to tell them that we have an emergency in the Digital World, and that we're be gone for several days. Taichi, since it's your house, you go call all of our parents and tell them that. Yamato, Jou, and Sora, you guys go and get us some supplies. Time is of the essence... so hurry already!"

*

"Well, we're here," Taichi said grimly. He looked at the seemingly endless stretch of land in front of him, and then he looked at the other kids and their Digimon. "We have about thirty-six hours to get across this desert and rescue Hikari, so we better get going."

On the other side of the desert, Ryo watched them on his computer screen. He gave a weak smile when he saw Ken's face. He had his memories back. That was obvious. That could be good or bad. He turned to Hikari, who was now tied up.

"Your friends are coming for you. Now, let the games begin."

She just glared at him.

*

Meanwhile, two people were watching the group of Chosen Children closely. One of them, who was very pale, but very solid looking, gave a weak smile. "Well, it looks like you were right, Gennai. I just hope that everything works out as well as you planned it."

Gennai smiled at the sixteen-year-old standing beside him. "I hope that you are right, Osamu. I really do. We will find out in about thirty-six hours though. I just hope that the Osamue thing doesn't happen that happened to you, Ryo, and Sakura. And I hope that they don't find out about that yet. It could change everything."

*

At the Osamue time, another person was watching all of them. A young girl with pale skin, silky blonde hair down to her waist, and bright blue eyes smiled from her prison of darkness. It was almost time for the prophesy to be fulfilled. Then, maybe she could go back to the place she called home.

"Please, defeat the evil. Please, Ryo. Please, Osamu. I know that you can do it. Please."


	6. Splitting Up

Hikari, glared at the boy, Ryo. He was staring at her again. She was ready to kill him just for that. "Have you never seen a girl before or something? Or maybe you just like to kidnap girls so that you can stare at them?"

Ryo gave a weak laugh at that. She definitely had spunk. "I'm sorry about this, you know. I have no choice though. My master would have my hide if I didn't obey him."

Hikari gave a small snort. "Sure, whatever you say. Of course, you can't disobey your master. That would be so horrible. What would he do, yell at you?"

Now it was Ryo's turn to snort. "I wish. Do you know, there used to be three of us who followed his commands? You can see that I'm still working for him. One of us, Sakura, disobeyed him. She didn't like what he was doing. She was pure, like you. She hated the darkness. I guess, that's why I'm staring at you. Because you remind me of her."

Hikari stared at him, distrust still in her eyes. He still hadn't explained anything, and until he did, she couldn't even consider trusting him."

Ryo gave another weak grin. "She was like a sister to me. And do you know what he did to her? You know about the Dark World, don't you. If I remember correctly, you and Ken have been pulled into the Dark Ocean part of it, while the older two, Yamato and Sora, have been pulled into another part of, the Dark Caves."

Hikari nodded weakly. She had never really realized that the caves that Yamato and Sora had told them about were part of the Dark World. She should have, though. "Yes, I know about the Dark World. What does that have to do with your friend though?"

Ryo could hear the sarcasm in her voice when she said that. He could tell that she didn't believe him, not yet. "Like I said, she hated the darkness. She was like you, pure. She had the Crest of Trust." His eyes got a faraway look in them, and he almost looked like he was about to cry. "He took her to that world, and never let her leave. I don't even know if she is still alive." His eyes suddenly clouded over.

"Of course, I did tell you that there was three of us, right? Well, the other one should be no surprise to you. He escaped from this world and never returned. Your friend, Gennai, helped to make sure of that. And do you know what happened to him? He escaped from our master's power... and he was killed by it a few years later. Because of me, he died. I helped to kill him." His face looked so guilty.

Hikari stared at him for a moment. He couldn't be talking about who she thought he was talking about. Could he? She looked at him, with a wondering expression on her face. "Are you talking about Ichijouji Osamu, Ken's older brother. Is that who you're talking about? Is he the one who escaped?"

*

Sora stumbled again. For a desert, this place sure was rocky. She gave a wry grin as she pulled herself up off the ground. She almost fell again, when Taichi started yelling. "What's up with you guys! You're making us take twice as long! This should be the simplest part of our trip! Come on, we have to hurry! It's my sister, remember?"

He quickly shut up when he was met by twenty-two sets of angry eyes. Maybe he was being just a little too hard on them. They were just as worried about Hikari as him.

Takeru stared angrily at Taichi. "We know that she's you sister, Taichi. She's also our friend. Every single one of us is friends with her. So, we are just as worried about her as you."

Taichi glared at Takeru "Well, I guess that it really doesn't matter that she's my baby sister! As long as I remember that she's friends with all of you! And, judging from all the lipstick on your face last night, she's a little more friendly with you, than she is with some other people!"

Takeru practically lunged himself at Taichi. He probably would have punched him out if he hadn't been grabbed by Yamato. His older brother grabbed him by the arm and whirled him around to face him. "Give it a break, Takeru. If you haven't noticed, Taichi is just as worried about Hikari as you. And besides, I'm the only one who is allowed to punch him." He gave a slight grin as he added that part.

Jou and Koushiro were both holding onto Taichi, who was straining to get to Takeru Yamato looked at him and rolled his eyes. "And you give it a break too, Taichi. If you haven't noticed, Takeru is just as worried about Hikari as you. And besides, no one but me is allowed to punch my brother." He didn't smile when he said that.

Taichi and Takeru both relaxed a little, and gave a small grin to their capturers. Daisuke just gaped at them. "Did you say that Takeru kissed my girl?

They both looked at each other when he said that. Taichi shrugged, and Takeru gave a small grin. They both turned to Daisuke and smiled. He gulped and slowly backed away. They slowly and carefully explained to him their feelings on the matter. "She is not your girl!"

Miyako gave a weak grin. She turned towards Ken, and groaned when she saw how pale he was. "Please tell me that you aren't going to faint again." The others automatically stopped talking and turned towards them.

Ken gave a weak grin. "No, I'm not going to faint again. But, I recognize this place. You know, right here where we are. This is where Ryo and I stood when we defeated Milleniumon." He smiled at the confused expressions on their faces. "This was where I was first infected with the Dark Spore."

*

Ryo suddenly stared at the screen of his computer. They were there, at the spot. What was his master planning for them? What?

Hikari stared at Ryo's face. He looked almost child-like. His eyes were wide, and he looked very worried. She let her eyes wander to the screen that he was looking at. She gave a quiet gasp at what she saw. The others were standing at what looked to be where Ryo and Ken had defeated Milleniumon. At least, it looked like Ryo had described it.

She gave a louder gasp. "Are they where I think they are? Please tell me that they aren't where I think they are. Please."

*

Ken stared at the area around him. This place had been one of the few things that had never been erased from his memories. This place. Suddenly his eyes widened. Something was wrong. "Something's wrong," he said in a voice that was barely more than a whisper. Wormmon looked up at him sharply.

The others stared at him. Iori and Takeru both took a step closer to him, before he motioned for them to stop. Daisuke and Miyako ignored him, and walked right over to him. "What's wrong?" Miyako asked worriedly.

Ken looked around worriedly. I don't know, but something's wrong. Something's definitely wrong." He suddenly gave a loud gasp of pain. His head felt as if someone was trying to crack it open. He looked over at Miyako in shock when he heard her cry out in pain. She was clutching her head too. Their eyes met as they both dropped down to their knees. And then to the ground.

The others crowded around the two still children. Wormmon and Hawkmon both perched themselves right beside their human partners with worried expressions on their faces. Taichi looked at them and then at Yamato.

Taichi gave a loud sigh. He didn't want to split up, since that had gotten them into trouble before. There was no other way though. "Okay, I think that it's time for us to split up. A few of us stay here with the sleeping beauties, and a few of us go and try to rescue Hikari before the deadline is up. What do you say?"

*

A shadowy figure watched them split up into two groups with what looked like a smile on it's face. "Perfect, they're splitting up. This will make it much easier to capture them. Much easier. As long as the boy, Ryo, doesn't turn soft. And if he does, he will pay. Maybe not now, but he will pay."


	7. Evil Is Coming

The first thing that Ken noticed was that he was freezing. The next thing was that Miyako was laying on the ground beside him, still unconscious. He quickly checked to make sure that she wasn't hurt, and then he slowly pulled himself off the ground. He looked around the barren landscape around him. This wasn't the Dark World, so where were they?

He looked back down at Miyako when he heard a startled gasp. She was sitting up, staring at the land around them in shock. She turned to him, fear shining in her eyes. "Ken, what's going on? Where are we? Where is everyone else?"

Ken had been thinking about that himself. He didn't know for sure, but he had several guesses. He carefully helped Miyako pull herself up off the ground. Then he looked her in the eyes and gave a worried smile. "Well, I don't think that we're actually here. I mean, I think that whatever this place is, it's in our minds."

Miyako nodded slowly. That did make sense, but that still didn't tell them where they were. Shivering slightly, she stepped closer to Ken. He gently placed his arm around her shoulder. "So, do you have any idea where we are?" she asked quietly.

*

Taichi looked around at the others with a worried expression on his face. He, Koushiro, Yamato, Sora, Takeru, their respective Digimon, and Tailmon had left to try and get to Hikari before the deadline was up. Jou, Mimi, Daisuke, Iori, and their Digimon had stayed behind to watch Ken and Miyako, and, after they woke up, to find out if they had learned anything. He still couldn't shake off the feeling that something was wrong though. He could feel it.

Takeru stared at the mountains in the distance. He was thinking about what had happened just a few hours before. Hikari had kissed him. And he had kissed her back. He wasn't really sure how he felt about that though. They had been best friends for years, but now... he just wasn't sure what to think.

*

Ken looked up suddenly. He had felt something. He knew that he had. Miyako squeezed his hand tightly. "What's wrong, Ken? Is there something there?"

He didn't answer, but instead kept his eyes pointed towards the sky. Whatever it was, he had felt it before. Back when he had trusted Ryo. What was it though? He gave a small gasp when he saw a huge shadowy form in the distance.

A memory that he had forgotten suddenly played in his mind. A memory from when he was sick, right after the Dark Spore had hit him. A memory of Ryo, fear on his face, talking to someone he had called his master. As realization shone in his eyes, he grabbed Miyako's hand and started to run, pulling the surprised Miyako along.

 

*

Ryo looked at the screen in front of him with a sad look on his face. The others had split up... probably just like his master had expected them to. He gently pushed a button on the computer, making the screen in front of him go black. He started slightly when he heard the quiet voice coming from behind him.

"They're in trouble, aren't they?"

He turned and tried to smile at Hikari. "Yes, yhey're in trouble. Big trouble." He tried to give a carefree laugh, but it sounded more like a sob. "They made the same mistake that we did... they split up."

*

Gennai gently placed his arm on the shoulder of the young boy who was standing beside him. "I know that you want to help them, Osamu. It will only make things worse though. We can't let anyone see you. Not yet at least."

Osamu gave him a weak smile. "I know that, Gennai. It's hard to not help them though. Very hard." His eyes got a faraway look in them. "I don't want the same thing to happen to them that happened to us."

*

Miyako gave a loud gasp as a sharp pain shot up her side. "Ken, please slow down for a minute. I can't keep up with you. And I don't even know what's going on!"

Ken stopped for a moment, giving her a chance to catch her breath. He gave her a grim smile. "Did you see that huge shadow over there?" He pointed towards a group of mounTaichins in the distance.

Miyako thought for a moment before giving an uncertain nod. "I think so"

He tried to smile, but the worry on his face was very plain. "This isn't the first time that I've seen it." At this, Miyako gazed at him curiously. "I'm almost one hundred percent sure that it is what's giving Ryo orders."

*

Hikari carefully rubbed the ropes on her hand against a pile of sharp rocks that were laying behind her. She could already feel them starting to fray just a little.

She gave a glance over at the boy, Ryo. He was preoccupied with whatever he saw on the computer screen in front of him. She gave a grim smile, and then went back to her task.

*

Taichi looked up suddenly. He was almost certain that he had felt something. "Wait a second you guys." His voice trailed off as he looked around him. There was something there. Something evil.

Koushiro, Yamato, and Sora stared at him for a moment. Then they shot each other worried glances. Sora looked from Yamato, to Koushiro, and then back to Yamato. Then she stepped tentatively towards Taichi. "Taichi, are you okay?"

He gave her a bewildered look. "Can't you feel that? Any of you?" He looked from one face to another. They all shook their heads "no", shooting each other knowing glances as they did.

"I can!" Everyone turned to look at Takeru, who hadn't said a word since they had split up, several hours earlier. "There's something out there. Something dark. Something evil." His normally warm eyes grew cold in moments. "Something really evil."

*

Jou gave Mimi a worried glance as he looked down at Ken and Miyako, who were both still unconscious. He covered his eyes with his hand, trying to see through the thick layer of sand that was in the air. The wind was starting to pick up, and it was blowing the sand around them with a vengeance. Daisuke and Iori were trying their best to erect some sort of shelter around the small group of humans and Digimon out of some nearby shrubs. Needless to say, it was not working very well.

Wormmon looked around at the wall of wind that was swirling around them. This was exactly what had happened right before they had fought Milleniumon. The wind had picked up, and the sand had been blowing everywhere. Something bad was about to happen, he just knew it.

*

Hikari carefully slipped her hands out of the ropes that had been tied around them. She let the ropes slide to the ground as she carefully untied the ones around her ankles. She kept her eyes on Ryo and Spiritmon the whole time. They were both staring at the screen in front of them with worried expressions on their faces.

She gave the rope around her ankles a furious yank. It was still wrapped around her ankles, but it was no longer tied. When she finally pulled the last bit of rope off, she pulled herself up and ran for dear life.

Ryo turned around immediately when he heard the sound of someone running. He was slightly shocked to see the girl, Hikari, running as quickly as she could away from them. "Spiritmon, stop her!"

Spiritmon took off in flight immediately. She rapidly grew closer and closer to the Chosen Child of Light. Ryo shoved his computer into the old, ragged backpack on his shoulder, and took off after them.

When he finally caught up, Spiritmon was telepathically holding Hikari in place. The girl was struggling, trying her best to get free. When he drew close to them, her eyes seemed to bore right into his. She as so much like Sakura. He gave a weak smile as he realized what he needed to do.

"Did you think that you were going somewhere?" Ryo asked her in a very sarcastic voice.

Hikari didn't even flinch. She looked him straight in the eye and answered. "I was considering it."

Ryo gave her a weak smile. "Spiritmon, release her." When she was released from the telepathic hold, Hikari's legs gave out. She dropped to her knees, but never let her eyes off of his.

He held out his hand towards her. Hikari reluctantly grabbed it, pulling herself up off of the ground. Ryo looked her straight in the eye and gave her a genuine grin. "Well, if you want to go to your friends, I've got to go with you. I'm under orders to watch you."

His eyes twinkled mischievously. "I don't think that helping you guys was what my master had planned for me, but I'll technically still be watching you." He gave a weak smile at the confused look on her face. "I've already lost Osamu and Sakura. I'm not going to lose Ken too. No matter what my master says."

*

A dark shadow gave an angry moan as he heard what Ryo said. He should have known better than to trust something this important to a mere human boy. He glanced into the screen in front of him. The two children who were in the Dark Realm were heading his way. The ones in the desert were trapped in one of his sand storms. The other group of children were headed towards where Ryo and the girl, Hikari, were.

He pushed a button at the bottom of the screen. The picture abruptly changed. The blonde-haired girl was still in her cell. She was using some of her powers to watch the others though.

He pressed another button. This time, two figures appeared on it. That muddling Gennai. Who does he have with him this time?

The dark creature gave a startled gasp. It was impossible. The boy had been dead for years now. How could he be standing next to that man?

"Ichijouji Osamu."


	8. Reunited

Hikari gave a worried glance at the boy and Digimon walking beside her. She knew that she should be on guard, but for some reason she felt like trusting him. _I guess that there's no reason not to trust him. I mean, it's not like things can get much worse than they are now._

As these thoughts were shooting through her mind, Ryo was having some doubts of his own. _What the hell am I doing? If he sees me helping them, I'm dead. He's already proved without a doubt that he has no qualms about killing me. Considering what he did to Osamu and Sakura..._ His eyes watered just a little as he thought about them.

Hikari stared at Ryo again. Was it her, or was he... crying? "Are you okay?" she asked softly as she looked him in the eyes, trying to see what was going on

He merely nodded and wiped his eyes. "I'm fine. Just a few bad memories that are coming up."

She looked at him for a moment, a curious expression on her face. It faded, however, when her D-3 started to go wild. With an amazed looked on her face, she held it out in front of her. She slowly turned around in a circle until a bright stream of light shot out from it. With a slight gasp, she shoved it into her pocket and ran in the direction of the beam of light.

Ryo stood there for a moment, staring at her, before he motioned for Spiritmon. As his Digimon flew through the air above him, he dashed after her. He caught up with her as she was starting up a steep slope. "Wanna tell me what you're up to?"

Hikari just looked at him with a smile. "Some of the others are nearby. My D-3 picked up on them. Or, more specifically, Tailmon."

*

Taichi and Takeru were both standing still, looking around them with worried expressions on their faces. The other kids and Digimon were just staring at them with expressions of worry on their faces. The faces of the two boys had grown pale and drawn, and a combination of fear and anger had appeared in their eyes.

Tailmon stared at their faces for a moment, trying to comprehend what could make them seem so scared. The questions that were rushing through her mind, however, came to a screeching halt as a shadowy figure appeared at the top of a small rise in front of them.

She stared for a moment, unsure of exactly what she was seeing in the growing darkness. Her eyes widened quite a bit though as a dim light seemed to emanate from the person standing there for a brief moment. As the light quickly started to fade, she felt her breath catch in her throat. With a shocked look on her face, she ran towards the person at the top of the embankment as quickly as she could. "Hikari!"

At her cry, the other kids averted their eyes towards the direction in which the catlike Digimon was running. The cold expression in Taichi's eyes died in an instant as he caught site of his younger sister. Almost immediately he dashed after Tailmon, trying his best to get to Hikari as soon as he could.

Looking at each other in amazement for a moment, Yamato, Sora, and Koushiro quickly dashed after him. Yamato stopped for a moment though when he realized that his younger brother wasn't following. Turning around, he quickly called his name. "Takeru? Something wrong?"

At the sound of his brother's voice, Takeru quickly started running to catch up with the rest of them. The look in his eyes didn't fade though. Yamato looked at him for a second with surprise showing in his eyes before he turned and started heading towards where Hikari was standing once again.

 

*

Ken grabbed Miyako's hand quickly as she lost her footing and started to slide down the steep incline that they were trying to climb up. He gave her a small grin before pulling her up beside him. "Come on, Miyako. We need to get to somewhere that's not quite as... obvious. If we're dealing with what I think we're dealing with, being in the wide open isn't the smartest thing to do."

She looked her boyfriend in the eyes for a moment, trying her best to comprehend what was going on behind the deep, brooding, azure blue. With a whisper that was almost impossible to hear, she asked him the question that had been going through her mind for the last several hours. "Ken, what exactly are we dealing with."

He looked at her for a moment before pulling himself up to the next ledge and then letting his arm down for her to grab hold of. "I'm not sure exactly. All I know is that this thing is evil. More evil than anything we've ever dealt with before."

He looked at her for a moment, a look of utter remorse in her eyes. "Whatever he is, he made Ryo cause the death of my brother. I'm almost one hundred percent sure of that."

He stopped for a moment, trying to stop the tears that were welling in his eyes from falling. "I'm not entirely sure, but I think that Ryo knew my brother. Very well. You see, every now and then, Ryo sort of... faded for a minute or two. It was like he was somewhere else - in another time. He mentioned some names several times."

Miyako looked him in the eyes as he pulled her up beside him. She didn't want to press, but it was obvious that this was important to what was going on. She gently touched his cheek, causing him to look up at her with eyes so full of pain that she felt like bursting into tears herself. Licking her lips nervously, she looked him straight in the eyes. "Ken, what were the names?"

He looked at her for a moment with what seemed like struggle going on in his eyes. Finally he took a deep breath. "I recognized two of the names. Gennai... and Osamu."

He nodded wearily as a look of understanding appeared in her eyes. Then he slowly continued on. "When he was talking about Osamu, he mentioned the name of a Digimon several times. Usumon. The other two names were those of a human and a Digimon. The Digimon was called Tigramon." He stopped for a moment, a curious expression on his face.

Miyako looked at him for a second, curiosity showing in her eyes. He nodded, a look of sudden understanding appearing in his eyes. "The other human was a girl named Sakura. I'm not sure exactly what it was, but there was something about her that Ryo kept hidden. He mentioned once, I think, something about her being captured..." He trailed off, an amazed look on his face. "He mentioned something about her being captured by the master of darkness!"

Miyako looked up at him for a second, realization shining in her eyes. She was about to say something when a loud, angry-sounding cry came from the nearby darkness. Looking at each other fearfully for a moment, they quickly picked up the pace - trying their best to find some sort of opening in the dark stone."

*

Hikari looked out into the grayness that was surrounding her. She had been almost certain that she had seen something out there. Suddenly her D-3 seemed to go into overdrive - with a loud whistle, it started to glow brightly. Fearfully, Hikari clasped her hands around it, trying her best to make it stop whatever it was doing. She almost dropped it, though, when the light stopped emanating from the D-3... and started to come from her own skin.

She gave a fearful cry as the bright light started to move up her arm. With a strangled sound, she dropped the D-3 to the ground. Almost immediately, the light started to fade. She took a deep, gasping breath as she dropped to her knees. Suddenly though, her head snapped up from where she was staring at the ground. Had she just heard someone call her name? Peering out into the murky darkness, her eyes caught site of something shining nearby. Her mouth formed words of delight as she recognized what it was.

"Tailmon..."

*

Ryo stood in the shadows, trying not to look surprised at what had just happened - even though he was. There had been some rumors that Hikari had some special powers since she was the Holder of Light, but he had thought that they were nothing more than rumors. It looked like he had been wrong.

His mind was quickly brought back to the present as Tailmon came rushing up to Hikari. Even he couldn't help but give a smile at the joy and relief in the Digimon's eyes. It faded, however, when the other kids and Digimon came rushing towards her. Almost unconsciously he and Spiritmon pulled back into the deepening shadows, trying their best to avoid being seen.

His eyes caught Hikari's as she stood quietly, letting the others crowd around her - hugging, kissing, asking questions. With a quick nod from her, he quietly walked out from the shadows. For a moment, he stood there unnoticed, until Sora let out a surprised gasp - indicating that his presence was known.

*

Hikari looked at Ryo for a moment, slightly shocked at the look of fear in his eyes. It was almost like he was afraid of them. Her curiosity quickly ended though, as Taichi and Takeru both rushed at him as one. "Why you little son of a--"

Ryo stepped nimbly to the side as Takeru swung a fist at him, but Taichi's caught him squarely in the mouth. He rolled quickly to the left as Taichi tried to get hold of him. After dodging, and receiving, several more punches, he finally threw Hikari a quick glance - letting his eyes talk.

She smiled weakly before calling off her protectors. Grabbing Taichi and Takeru each by the arm, she held on to them for a moment, trying to get them to stop trying to beat up Ryo before she could explain a few things.   
As she was losing her grip on the two struggling boys, Yamato walked over and grabbed each of them by the ear. "Why don't you take a break for a second and actually listen to what Hikari is saying?"

Giving Ryo one more venomous look, Taichi nodded his head and stopped struggling. Takeru looked Hikari in the eyes first, trying to see what was in them. With a quiet sigh, he slowly relaxed. At that, Yamato released his grip on each of them.

Hikari sighed gently before she walked over and gave Ryo her hand. He gave a weak smile as he allowed her to help him to his feet. Then she looked over at her friends with a slight apologetic look on her face. "It looks like we might actually have a new ally."

She gave a smile at the shocked looks on everyone's faces. Then she looked over at Ryo with a look on her face that still showed a little bit of uncertainty about him. Looking into his eyes, she gave a slight nod. Then she turned towards her bewildered friends and slowly started explaining exactly what was going on.


	9. Coming Together

Ken hands felt like ice as he ran them along the wet rock, trying to find some sort of opening in the cold stone of the cliff. He had been searching for what seemed like an eternity, even though he knew that it couldn't have been more than half an hour. Still, he was beginning to become discouraged.

Just as he was about to give up though, his hands sank into a small opening. Not daring even to even breathe, he leaned in close and found himself staring at what appeared to be a small cave. He let out a quiet sigh and, without saying a word, grabbed Miyako's arm and pulled her over towards him.

She gave him a curious look before he nodded his head towards the small, almost invisible hole in the cliff. They stood still for a moment, looking into the deep darkness of a tiny cave. Then, with a fearful look in his eyes, Ken let go of her arm and leaned in close to the cave's entrance.

Taking a deep breath, he slowly reached up and pulled himself up a few inches so that he could climb into the cave. He stared into the murky darkness for a moment before turning his head back towards Miyako. He forced his mouth to turn upwards into a reassuring grin. "I'm going to go and see where this goes, and then I'll come back to get you."

Her eyes widened suddenly in fear at his words. With terror shining in them, she vehemently shook her head. "No! Are you crazy? You're going to go climbing down into some dark hole, leaving me behind to be attacked by whatever comes by, so that you--"

"Can try and find a way out of this place that doesn't involve getting one of us killed!" Ken finished in a slightly loud voice. He looked Miyako straight in the eyes and tried to reassure her the best that he could. Then, without letting her anything else, he turned and slowly pulled himself into the small cave.

Before he got very far into the darkness, he turned and shot one more look back at her. Miyako slowly gave him a slight nod of understanding. Then, with a few tears still in her eyes, she watched as Ken slowly faded into

She stood in front of the cave for what seemed like ages - pacing slightly as more and more time passed. After a while, she couldn't stand it anymore. With a worried look around her, she turned and started crawling into the darkness.

She had only gotten a few feet before she found herself face to face with... Ken. He gave her an exasperated look as she slowly backed out of the small cave. "For some strange reason, I thought that I told you to stay here."

Miyako shrugged her shoulders helplessly. "You were taking forever, Ken. I was worried about you. I thought that-- wait a minute, Ken, haven't you done the exact same thing before? Like the time when Daisuke--"

Ken quickly placed his hand over her mouth, knowing very well what she was talking about. He smiled gently as he leaned down and let their lips touch for a brief moment. It ended rather quickly, however, when the same sound screaming noise they had heard earlier broke the eerie stillness.   
They looked into each others eyes for a moment before Ken pushed her into to cave. "If you go in for a few meters, there's a tunnel. I didn't follow it all of the way, but I think that it leads where we need to go."

*

As Hikari finished explaining to her friends what had taken place in the last several hours, she looked around at her friends. Yamato, Sora, and Koushiro looked like they at least partly believed her, but Takeru had a very skeptical look on his face. She shot him a quick look, and he slowly nodded in understanding. He wouldn't do anything.

Hikari quickly turned her attention towards Taichi. After a moment their eyes met, and she quietly let out a sigh. In one swift movement, she grabbed her brother's arm and twisted it as far around as she could. "Be a good _onii-san_ and behave," she whispered quietly to him.

Taichi gave a very fake-looking grin as he looked over at Ryo and Spiritmon, who still standing back away from them. With a worried look in his eyes, Taichi turned his gaze back towards his little sister. "Are you sure we can trust them?" he quietly murmured back to her, his voice telling her that he obviously thought that the idea was absurd.

For a moment, Hikari didn't say a word. She slowly blew a long lock of hair out of her eyes and let her gaze wander around them for a moment. Then, without saying a word, she immediately looked her brother in the eyes. After a moment, Taichi slowly looked away - the steely determination in her eyes answered any question he could ask. "Fine. I'll trust your instincts... this time," he whispered back to her in a voice that was practically dripping with sarcasm.

Hikari stood there for a moment, a slightly shocked look in her eyes. After a moment though, she looked around at where the others were standing. She could tell that they couldn't hear what the two of them were saying. Slowly, she turned her gaze back towards Taichi.

Neither of them said a word as they stared into each other's eyes. After a few moments, Hikari gave a weak smile. She knew very well why her brother was being like this - Taichi was in full overprotection mode. Slowly she let out her breath. "Taichi," she whispered in a dangerous-sounding voice. "Stop being such an ass."

Taichi shot her a startled look before slowly letting his eyes wander over to where Ryo was still standing. Then, with a tired look in his eyes, he turned his attention back towards Hikari. "I am acting like an ass, aren't I?"

 

She didn't say a word, but the look on her face answered his question. Taichi let out a weak sigh before slowly nodding his head. He let his eyes wander over to Ryo once again. "Fine then, I'll try and behave."

Hikari slowly reached over and gave his arm a reassuring squeeze. Then, she turned and started walking over to where the others were standing. Before she got very far though, Taichi quickly reached out and grabbed her arm. "One thing though..."

The girl immediately shot him a curious look. Taichi merely smiled at her as he glanced over towards where Takeru was standing. "If I catch you and Takeru making out, I can't be held responsible for what I do."

Hikari stared at him for a moment, her mouth open in shock. After a few seconds though, she seemed to find her voice. "Yagami Taichi! Don't you dare threaten my boyfriend!"

As soon as she said that, Hikari's face turned bright red. She wasn't the only one though. Takeru's face was turning an even brighter red, and Taichi's wasn't far behind. His however, wasn't red with embarrassment.   
Hikari looked into her brother's eyes for a moment before quickly turning towards the group of kids behind them. "Yamato, you might want to keep my brother away from yours."

*

Daisuke stiffly stood up and tried to shake some of the sand off of him. Just as suddenly as the sandstorm had started, it had stopped - leaving the kids and Digimon covered in a rather thick layer of sand. With a tired sigh, he let his eyes roam around them - trying to catch sight of the other group. There was no sign of them, though.

Trying to erase the worried look on his face, he turned back to the rest of his group. Jou was once again checking on Ken and Miyako, while Mimi tried to brush some of the sand off of them. Iori was standing up, trying to both brush some of the sand off of himself and look around the desert landscape at the same time. The Digimon were standing - and sitting - around their respected partners, trying not to appear too worried.

The desert was eerily silent, almost like there was nothing alive there but them. If he hadn't know any better, Daisuke might have thought that they were the only living things out here.

Without warning, a sharp - very familiar - scream rang through the air. With an annoyed look in his eyes, Daisuke slowly looked over at Mimi. Anything that he had been planning on saying though, faded away as soon as he saw what she was screaming about. Ken and Miyako both seemed to be fading in and out of reality.


	10. What Might Have Been

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The following is a very brief summary of what I had planned for this story, based on some vague notes that I found in a spare notebook.

** Summary: **

Ken and Miyako are captured, and they're placed in a cell near Sakura. Between her stories and details that Ken remembers hearing from Ryo (and, to some extent, Osamu), they're able to put together a working timeline to figure out just what's happened. Ken's shocked then Sakura tells him that Osamu visits her sometimes; it's implied that, after he died in the real world, a part of him somehow remained in the Digital World.

Meanwhile, Ryo realizes that Ken and Miyako have been captured, and the countdown that was originally meant for Hikari is now true for them. Hikari tells them that she thinks she can open a portal to the Dark World (a physical one, not a mental one), but they can't just leave Ken and Miyako's actual bodies lying unconcious in the Digital World. Gennai and Osamu appear, shocking Ryo (as well as several of the others once they realize just who Osamu is). They promise to explain how Osamu can be there once Ken and Miyako have been saved, and they promise to watch over their unconscious bodies while the others go to rescue them.

The others go, make their way into the fortress, have a big fight, and save the others. Ryo is fairly seriously injured, saving several of the others in the process. Ken and Miyako disappear, their consciousness returning to the the Digital World instantly. The others, including Sakura, have to take the long way back.

Ken are Ryo are reunited with Osamu, while Ryo and Osamu are reunited with Sakura. It's revealed that Osamu cannot leave the Digital World; he's become tied to it. Sakura is allowed to leave, but she decides to stay at least for the time being because she has nothing waiting for her in the other world. The others can visit them without any issues, though. Ryo wants to stay there with them, but he's told that he's banished for the next ten years - and that he's to be separated from his Digimon for that time - as a punishment. If he stays away, he'll be allowed to return in a decade.

Everyone returns home. Ryo disappears without telling anyone where he's gone.


End file.
